diff --git a/examples/select-features.html b/examples/select-features.html
index 048f603d13..2c6428b330 100644
--- a/examples/select-features.html
+++ b/examples/select-features.html
@@ -9,6 +9,52 @@
     <link rel="stylesheet" href="../resources/layout.css" type="text/css">
     <link rel="stylesheet" href="../resources/bootstrap/css/bootstrap-responsive.min.css" type="text/css">
     <title>Select features example</title>
+    <style type="text/css">
+      /* TODO: remove this after css/button refactoring */
+      .ol-select {
+        position: absolute;
+        background: rgba(255,255,255,0.4);
+        border-radius: 4px;
+        left: 8px;
+        padding: 2px;
+        top: 65px;
+      }
+      @media print {
+        .ol-select {
+          display: none;
+        }
+      }
+      .ol-select a {
+        display: block;
+        margin: 1px;
+        padding: 0;
+        color: white;
+        font-size: 16px;
+        font-family: 'Lucida Grande',Verdana,Geneva,Lucida,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;
+        font-weight: bold;
+        text-decoration: none;
+        text-align: center;
+        height: 22px;
+        width: 22px;
+        background-color: rgba(0, 60, 136, 0.2);
+        border-radius: 2px;
+      }
+      .ol-touch .ol-select a {
+        font-size: 20px;
+        height: 30px;
+        width: 30px;
+        line-height: 26px;
+      }
+      .ol-select.active a {
+          background-color: rgba(0, 60, 136, 0.6);
+      }
+      .ol-select a:hover {
+        background-color: rgba(0, 60, 136, 0.7);
+      }
+      .ol-select a:after {
+          content: "S";
+      }
+    </style>
   </head>
   <body>
 
@@ -38,7 +84,7 @@
 
         <div class="span12">
           <h4 id="title">Select features example</h4>
-          <p id="shortdesc">Example of using the Select control.</p>
+          <p id="shortdesc">Example of using the Select control. Select features by clicking polygons. Hold the Shift-key to add to the selection. Click the 'S' button to toggle the control's active state.</p>
           <div id="docs">
             <p>See the <a href="select-features.js" target="_blank">select-features.js source</a> to see how this is done.</p>
           </div>
diff --git a/src/ol/control/selectcontrol.js b/src/ol/control/selectcontrol.js
index 326f5115cd..2a510fa163 100644
--- a/src/ol/control/selectcontrol.js
+++ b/src/ol/control/selectcontrol.js
@@ -23,14 +23,28 @@ goog.require('ol.source.Vector');
 ol.control.Select = function(opt_options) {
   var options = goog.isDef(opt_options) ? opt_options : {};
 
+  /**
+   * @type {boolean}
+   * @private
+   */
+  this.active_ = false;
+
+  /**
+   * @type {ol.layer.Vector}
+   * @protected
+   */
   this.layer = new ol.layer.Vector({
     source: new ol.source.Vector({parser: null}),
     temp: true
   });
 
+  /**
+   * @type {Array.<ol.layer.Layer>}
+   * @private
+   */
   this.layers_ = options.layers;
 
-  // TODO: css
+  // TODO: css/button refactoring
   var className = goog.isDef(options.className) ? options.className :
       'ol-select';
 
@@ -75,12 +89,15 @@ ol.control.Select.prototype.toggleActive_ = function(browserEvent) {
  * Activate the control.
  */
 ol.control.Select.prototype.activate = function() {
-  goog.dom.classes.add(this.element, 'active');
-  this.getMap().addLayer(this.layer);
-  // TODO: Implement box selection
-  this.listenerKeys.push(
-      goog.events.listen(this.getMap(), ol.MapBrowserEvent.EventType.CLICK,
-          this.handleClick, true, this));
+  if (!this.active_) {
+    this.active_ = true;
+    goog.dom.classes.add(this.element, 'active');
+    this.getMap().addLayer(this.layer);
+    // TODO: Implement box selection
+    this.listenerKeys.push(
+        goog.events.listen(this.getMap(), ol.MapBrowserEvent.EventType.CLICK,
+            this.handleClick, true, this));
+  }
 };
 
 
@@ -88,12 +105,15 @@ ol.control.Select.prototype.activate = function() {
  * Dectivate the control.
  */
 ol.control.Select.prototype.deactivate = function() {
-  if (!goog.array.isEmpty(this.listenerKeys)) {
-    goog.array.forEach(this.listenerKeys, goog.events.unlistenByKey);
-    this.listenerKeys.length = 0;
+  if (this.active_) {
+    if (!goog.array.isEmpty(this.listenerKeys)) {
+      goog.array.forEach(this.listenerKeys, goog.events.unlistenByKey);
+      this.listenerKeys.length = 0;
+    }
+    this.getMap().removeLayer(this.layer);
+    goog.dom.classes.remove(this.element, 'active');
+    this.active_ = false;
   }
-  this.getMap().removeLayer(this.layer);
-  goog.dom.classes.remove(this.element, 'active');
 };
 
 
